


Silver Blooded

by fourcardflush



Category: Death Note, Death Note: Another Note
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood and Gore, Child Murder, Extremely Dubious Consent, Forced Bonding, M/M, Rape/Non-con Elements, Slavery, bdsm undertones, enemies to even greater enemies, the teeniest tiniest dot of fluff youve ever seen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-23 16:13:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9665093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fourcardflush/pseuds/fourcardflush
Summary: Ryuk neglects to mention that if Light drinks from a human without killing it, he'll be bonded and forever dependent on a single food source.So, Light's essentially a slave to his mortal enemy. So what? That doesn't mean he's not going to continue to try to kill him.





	1. Love

**Author's Note:**

> Please, PLEASE read the tags. I'll add more if necessary or if someone requests something I missed. A lot of not-nice and downright horrible things happen in this story. If you don't think you can handle that, don't read it. This isn't an enemies-to-lovers, fluffier-as-it-goes-on type of fic, I assure you. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

As Light lay bleeding out in the filthy, dank alleyway, he reflected on the fact that up until this very moment, there was no one he had ever hated as much as he currently hates Misa Amane.

 

L came in as a very close second. Light was glad that the Corpse Special Task Force lead investigator was finally dead; it was one of the last things he saw before his vision was cut off. He was even more glad that it was he who was able to land the killing blow. The knowledge of it filled him with a warm, curling satisfaction. L had been a thorn in Light’s side for several years, always goading him, always poking around _his_ territory...Light let out a low growl just thinking about it.

 

Still, L and his flock had doled out quite a bit of damage themselves, even if in the end it wasn’t _quite_ enough. If Light were a human, he would certainly be dead. Acid-like burns littered his body from the holy water, and L had shoved some sort of UV light flash bomb right into his face, badly scarring it and melting his eyes right out of their sockets.What was worse, the investigators had been quite generous in firing their silver bullets, rendering both of his legs useless. If Light’s plan to use Ferals hadn’t worked, he feared he really would have been done for.

 

As it was, he was still in great danger.He could already feel pricks from the very top of the sun as it peeked over the horizon, exacerbating his wounds.Although Light usually felt little discomfort during the day provided he stayed out of direct sunlight, he feared that even the deep shadows of the alley wouldn’t protect him in his current state.

 

Light sniffed cautiously at the air. Death surrounded him. He could smell the strong tang of spilled human blood, spiked with sweet notes of viscera. He could smell the sulfuric scent of vampire bodies as well, tinged with something that smelled not unlike bleach. The alley was still thick with residual fear and rage pheromones as well. It was all so distracting that he almost didn’t notice the nearly dead human, stinking of distress.

 

He began to slowly drag himself in that direction, extended claws biting into the concrete as anchors to pull himself closer. He soon drew close enough to hear a faint-but steady- pulse, its thrum attuning itself to Light’s raging hunger. He couldn’t help but grin victoriously.

 

Today was his lucky day.

 

\----

Four Nights Previous

\---

 

Light should have paid more attention when the butchered bodies of criminals he hadn’t killed began appearing all over. He figured it was just some sloppy neophyte trying to implore Light to let them stay in his territory. He was half right.

 

This night, they had really outdone themselves. Twenty humans, most of them lowlives, so horribly torn that they barely resembled anything other than mincemeat. The perpetrator had even left over a sizable portion for Light. Light considered that perhaps the insult was purposeful, and that this person was trying to make themselves out as a rival. _I can do your work better than you can,_ the grisly scene seemed to say.

 

But it wasn’t until Light nearly stepped on a blood-splattered CSTF badge that he knew; whoever had done this had to die _immediately._ He had an unspoken agreement with the main task force that if investigators didn’t specifically target _him_ , he wouldn’t target _them_. Now that the fragile truce had been broken, his territory would be swarming with spooks by sun-up.

 

Light spent the better part of the night hunting down the perpetrator. Although they had been clever enough to hide their scent, they had still left other fatal clues behind. This rival was a blonde woman, rather petite, and frequented the underground “bloodsucker” goth clubs that so many real vampires reviled.

 

But it couldn’t be helped if he wanted to kill her tonight. He passed from _The Black Casket_ to _Bloodlace_ to _Silverfang_ to _Leech_ , teasing out as much information as he could from bouncers and exiting patrons. Getting people to say and do what he wanted had always been a great talent of his, even back when he was still human. But his adversary, seemingly one step ahead, had erased any memories of herself from her friends’ heads. He could tell from the sudden, glazed over look that some patrons got when he asked about her- a clear mark of amatuer workmanship. All he could do was puppet them further to report to him if they saw anything.

 

By this time it was an hour before sunrise, so he returned to his apartment, fuming, his mind racing to find a way to catch this menace before she drew any more attention from the police.

 

At that moment there was a polite knocking on his door.

 

Despite being solitary and territorial by nature, vampires in their right mind - those who had not gone Feral - did have a basic sense of decorum when interacting with one another. One of the most important rules was akin to a “parlay” system, where two or more vampires meet with the goal of preventing further unnecessary violence and attention. It was for this reason that Light invited Misa Amane into his home, rather than ripping out her throat.

 

She sat politely on the couch as he made the both of them tea, though her eyes shone too bright for his liking.

 

“Miss Amane,” said Light, settling down next to her. “To what do I-”

 

“Please call me Misa!” she burst out.

 

Light plastered an understanding smile onto his face. “....Misa. To what occasion do I owe this visit?”

 

Amane bounced in her seat, twirling one of her ponytails around her finger. “Misa has been wanting to meet Kira for a long time now. Even as a human, I-” she stopped herself, suddenly unable to meet his gaze.

 

“To tell the truth...the man who killed my parents was acquitted, but it was Kira who brought him to justice! That’s why….I….” She quieted once more.

 

So this idiot had given away her soul just to _speak_ with him? thought Light. He understood the gesture- it was a privilege for _anyone_ to speak to him. But it didn’t negate the damage she had already caused.

 

Light made his gaze marginally gentler as he privately determined the best angle to strike from if he didn’t want the neighbors the hear.

 

“So Misa...you got someone to turn you, just so you could meet me?”

 

She perked up. “Yeah! Rem really is the greatest. She even insisted on meeting you as well!”

 

She pointed a black, manicured claw past Light’s head. Peering in through his kitchen was an Ancient, features twisted monstrously in her old age. It seemed as if she was trying to kill him with a look alone, though Light wouldn’t be surprised if it were actually possible. He could faintly hear Misa ask if he could let Rem in as well.

 

Most vampires were set loose relatively quickly once they were turned- Ryuk had spent an entire fifteen minutes with Light before patting him jovially on the back with a “Go get ‘em, kid!”. The fact that Rem was still around…

 

He highly doubted he would be able to kill Misa now.  His spine prickled with annoyance.

 

“Misa...actually, it’s getting close to sunrise. Shouldn’t you be heading home?”

 

Misa pouted in such a way Light was sure a lot of guys found adorable, but to him it was infuriating. “Can’t Misa stay here?”

 

“No,” he said, fighting to keep control of his voice. “It’s actually bad etiquette to ask. Didn’t Rem tell you?”

 

Misa’s eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth. “Ohmygosh! You’re right, I am sooo sorry!” Tears began to prick at the corners of her eyes. Tears had never worked on Light.

 

“It’s fine.” Light kept his voice level, “But if you could also refrain from hunting in my territory from now on, or at least without attracting so much attention…”

 

“Misa was causing attention?” she squeaked.

 

“Well yes, at least from the CSTF, since you killed one of their own-”

 

Tears were now freely running down Misa’s face. Light heard a tapping on the window, and when he turned around he saw Rem make a slicing motion across her throat. He held his hands up on apology.

 

His eyes narrowed as he turn back around. If this Ancient really did care for Misa so much, perhaps he could use it to his advantage. Just as long as he gave her what she wanted.

 

With a deep, internal sigh, Light took ahold of Misa’s shoulders and leaned down for a chaste kiss. “Hey,” he said, making his eyes dewey and brushing away a tear with his thumb. “It’s fine, I know you didn’t mean it. Feel free to stay the day here.”

 

\---

Three Nights Previous

\---

 

Either Kira was throwing another temper tantrum, or there was an imposter in their midsts. L chewed thoughtfully on his thumb. Ninety-nine percent chance for the latter, although one could never be too careful with Kira.

 

The murder rate in Kira’s territory had skyrocketed recently. Kira killed an extraordinary amount of people each night, for a vampire, but even by his scale it was getting a bit excessive. L had sent Yuuki out to investigate, but he had yet to report back to headquarters. Dead, most likely. Shame.

 

He estimated that Kira was far more angry about the situation than he was. If there was one thing that monster valued, it was order. Ninety-five percent chance that the imposter wouldn’t be around for much longer, though five percent in her favor if Kira’s type was ‘petite blonde vampire girl’. Vampira weren’t nicknamed “spiders” for no reason. Though L had no idea if their allure worked as well if the target wasn’t human.

 

In any case, she had done L a favor, even if she didn’t mean to. Kira’s territory practically spanned across five wards, but now L could narrow his actual location down to a three block radius.

 

L pressed down on his intercom button. “Watari, can you send the task force in, please?” Watari ushered everyone in moments later, dessert cart in tow.

 

“Mmm I’ve called you all in today,” L began as he carefully surveyed his dessert selection, “Because I think it’s finally time to converge on Kira.”

 

There was an ominous murmuring among the task force members. Only the newest member, Matsuda, looked pleased. “We’re going to finally get Kira? Awesome!” He actually pumped his fist. “I can’t wait to take this guy down.”

 

The rest of the task force grew silent as all eyes turned harshly towards Matsuda. Only L ignored him, trying to choose between the tiramisu and the eclaire. He finally settled on both.

 

“Junior Inspector Matsuda,” said L, raising the eclaire to his mouth. “Do you know _why_ this particular vampire is nicknamed ‘Kira’?”

 

Matsuda laughed nervously. “I don’t know the specifics, but it _is_ strange. Don’t all vampires kill?” Aizawa scoffed behind him.

 

“Hmm well you’re right, but that’s not the reason,” L took a bite of the eclaire and persisted with his mouth full.

 

“You see, while vampires have no qualms about killing people, it’s usually for food or territory. It’s more of an animalistic urge more than anything.” L swallowed and licked thoughtfully at the bit of cream left on his thumb. “But Kira obviously doesn’t kill for food. We know this because he averages ten victims a night, while a normal vampire could easily be satisfied with one or two humans every three nights.”

 

“We actually though Kira might have been a gang at first, because of that,” Aizawa interjected.

 

“Correct.” agreed L, eyes finally fixing onto Matsuda. “And Kira isn’t gluttonous, either. No, he kills because he _likes_ to kill. He even has his own _modus operandi_ : only targeting criminals. In fact, I’d be hesitant to even call him a vampire at all. He’s more like a serial killer who just happens to feed on his victims from time to time.” L held Matsuda’s gaze for another moment, and the latter visibly shivered.

 

“And anyway,” L continued, “He’s very intelligent. Almost as intelligent as I am. So there’s a one hundred and three percent chance that if we gave the ok for a raid, it would end badly for us.”

 

Matsuda awkwardly cleared his throat. “So then, what do we do?”

 

L smiled to himself. “We do the same as a task force trying to catch any other serial killer: bait him into revealing himself.”

 

 -

 Light awoke to the sound of banging on a door three floors below him. It wasn’t the knock of a delivery, either, but a loud and authoritative sound, the beat of primitive drums. He wandered into the living room to investigate. Misa was already sitting up on the couch, yawning and stretching her delicate arms behind her head.

 

“Light! You’re-”

 

He put his finger to his lips and her mouth clacked shut. If he focused, he could definitely hear the conversation.

 

“Excuse me, ma’am,” the voice of a young man was saying to Mrs. Takanawa, “I’m Investigator Matsuda, from the Corpse Special Task Force.” There was a rustling sound as Matsuda presumably flashed his badge.

 

“Oh my,” said Mrs. Takanawa. “Is anything the matter?”

 

“I’m afraid so, ma’am. We have reason to believe that a vampire is residing in this neighborhood, and we’re issuing warnings for residents’ safety. If you would take this pamphlet-”

 

“A _vampire?_ ” interrupted Mrs. Takanawa, voice laced with fear. “I’m sorry, but- shouldn’t we evacuate? Or at the very least have some sort of- extra protection?”

 

Matsuda suddenly sounded sheepish. “We...tend not to do that, it usually spooks the vampire before we can find and dispose of it. But as long as you take extra precautions as outlined in the pamphlet- avoid going out at night, don’t invite a stranger into your home for any reason- you should be quite safe…”

 

There was an outraged pause, and then the sound of a slamming door.

 

For the next hour, Light and Misa sat cross-legged on the floor, silently listening to Matsuda’s canned speech as it got closer and closer to Light’s door. Light sat thinking, and Misa sat trembling. When the investigator reached Light’s floor, Light finally broke the silence.

 

“Misa, you need to go hide in my bedroom. They probably have a pretty accurate approximation of what you look like.”

 

“But- what about you, Light?” Misa squeaked, eyes raking over his inhuman features.

 

“I can make myself look perfectly human. But even if _you_ could do the same, it’s likely that you’ll still be identified.”

 

“But do you even have to answer-”

 

“I’ms sure L will be checking security footage to see who would be in the building at this time. If I don’t answer it, it would just make me look guilty.”

 

Misa stared at him as she slowly rose from the floor, lip trembling slightly. Matsuda was now only a door away. “Go!” Light hissed, flashing his fangs in annoyance. Misa practically bounded toward his room.

 

One he heard his bedroom door click shut, he forced himself to relax and arranged his glamour. There was the sound of banging on his door now.

 

“Coming~” he called out.

 

-

Matsuda was already getting fatigued, L noted with some distaste. He had been assigned the apartment building because of his age, and while his body could keep up, evidently his mind could not. L counted twenty-seven times he had gone off-script already.

 

When he reached the fourth floor, Matsuda let out an audible sigh of relief. “Focus, Matsuda,” L chided him in his usual monotone, “You still have this entire floor to do.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

Most of this building’s residents were elderly, and therefore unlikely candidates. It was the same on this floor as well, right up until door 5942. This time, Matsuda hesitated before knocking.

 

“That number’s pretty bad…” he muttered.

 

“Maybe it will be lucky for you,” L suggested. His eyes flitted briefly to the other screens while Matsuda knocked, but it seemed as if the other investigators were out of luck as well- any young person who answered the door was part of a family.

 

L bit at his thumb, harder than necessary.

 

The door of the one-room apartment swung open to reveal a young man, looking no older than seventeen. L leaned forward in his seat, thumb still pressed to his teeth. He looked normal, perhaps _too_ normal- L couldn’t find a single blemish or out of place hair through the high definition camera.

 

Matsuda seemed to be stunned by the young man’s appearance as well, since he was suddenly at a loss for words. The young man cocked his head. “Um, can I help you?”

 

“Yuh-yeah,” replied Matsuda. The young man’s face fell in concern.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

“Oh, well-I was just distracted by your apartment number! It’s pretty unlucky, isn’t it?” Matsuda babbled. L wanted to warn him to stay calm, but thought it wise to remain silent. After all, if this was Kira….

 

“Hm?” The young man asked, poking his head out to stare out his door number for seemingly the first time. “Oh! That’s right. Well, the rent’s a lot cheaper because of that, so I don’t mind. You know how suspicious old folks can be,” he said with a small laugh.

 

Matsuda laughed along. “Ah, I see! Well, I’m from the CSTF, and I’m just going door to door to warn people-”

 

“Sorry, but do you mind showing me your badge?” The young man interrupted. He continued on apologetically, “Not that I’m accusing you personally, but there are a lot of scammers in this area.”

 

“Of-of course!” Exclaimed Matsuda, hastily taking out his badge. The man leaned closer to study it, and he was at such an angle that if he looked a little to the left, he would be staring right at the microcamera. L leaned even closer, studying the close up of the man’s eyes. They definitely weren’t red, but even so...there was something _off._ His nose was practically touching the screen. What was it?

 

At that moment the man’s gaze shifted briefly toward the camera.It was like looking into a doll’s eyes.

 

“Alright, I’m satisfied,” the man who was almost certainly Kira said, straightening “You were saying something about a warning?”

 

“Watari!” L called, abandoning his video feeds. “Find every detail about  the person who lives in this apartment!”

 

\--

Light thanked Matsuda with a polite smile as he closed the the door. He counted the investigator’s footsteps as he headed toward the exit. Once he heard that door clang shut, he slammed his fists down so hard into the coffee table that it nearly cracked in half.

 

“Light?”came Misa’s muffled voice through the bedroom door.

 

“Damn him,” Light growled. “He got me.” In retrospect he should have backed away from the challenge by not answering the door at all- what other reason would a CSTF investigator have for going around at _night_ besides baiting a trap? But as with most things when it came to L, Light couldn’t seem to help himself.

 

He knew he was screwed the moment he spotted the camera. Even the best glamours distort a little through a lense, and there was no doubt in Light’s mind that L had spotted it. Maybe it wasn’t enough to prove anything, but it was certainly enough to draw suspicion. He had always been careful, so careful, to spread out his hunting grounds, even going so far as to obtrude into neighboring territories. L might have won small victories against him before, but Light had never given away something as important as _that_.

 

Unfortunately, someone _else_ had given him away instead, he thought bitterly as Misa settled beside him.

 

“Hey, Misa,” he said, still staring straight ahead at the wall. “I think it’s time I introduce you to someone.”

 

\--

Two Nights Previous

\--

 The waning sunlight was, as always, a great irritant to him, even with the thick dark shades he wore. He has tried to alleviate the uncomfortable burning just under his skin with some cold tea, but it wasn’t helping. The only upside was that Misa could not venture out with him.

 

Light had taken her to visit Ryuk last night on the pretense that she should be acquainted with his sire if she really wanted them to be “serious.” She had enthusiastically agreed, of course. Light would eat his own shoe if Misa wasn’t making herself out to be some sort of twisted Lucy Westenra. And while Ryuk’s painfully obvious attraction to her was a plus, in truth he had other business in the Underground. When he came back to fetch her, Ryuk insisted on being the gentleman by escorting them out.

 

“What is it?” Light asked wearily as Misa skipped on up ahead.

 

“You sure have good taste, buddy. Though I didn’t think she would be your _flavor_ ,” Ryuk wagged his eyebrows down at Light. Ancients, Light had long noted, were fond of using their wings to an almost obnoxious degree in order to float above everyone else. Though he expected he would do the same once they grew in for him.

 

“So you wanted to talk to me just to comment on my dating preferences?” Light scoffed.

 

“ _Hyuk hyuk hyuk_. Oh no. But I don’t think you came down here just to introduce your new squeeze to your old man, either.”

 

“Well, it works better for me if you like her, but you’re right” Light admitted. “Why, did you want to watch? I know how much you like to get involved when things get _interesting…_ particularly if a pretty girl’s involved...”

 

“So tell me,” Ryuk demanded amicably. Light did. In the far distance, a Feral let out a long, drawn out scream of pain.

 

After that brief visit, Light sent Misa home. “Really, I’d be surprised if my house hasn’t been bugged already,” Light patiently explained over her wailing.

 

He had in fact been counting on it.

 

“This is for your own safety as well as mine.”

 

“S-so you’re only sending me away because you love me?” Misa warbled, wiping away at her running mascara.

 

“Sure, whatever.”

 

Light was right in his assumption, of course. He was sure whoever had been in here had gone through all his stuff, although it would be in vain. Light was fastidious in removing any clothes with bloodstains, and he always kept his fridge believably stocked. Just because he no long gained any sustenance from human food didn’t mean he didn’t like to occasionally indulge.

 

He figured that since he got home so late at night, he could get away with pretending to sleep through the morning. But sleeping away the entire day would be problematic, so he headed out into the city during the late afternoon. There was an inordinate amount of blood stains on the sidewalk that morning, and several times Light picked up the stench of burnt vampire remains.

 

It became evident that someone was tailing him, but as luck would have it he had long ago established himself as a “student” at a nearby university. A college student sleeping in until his class was pretty normal, and even if the investigator asked around, he was recognizable enough to his classmates. Yet another advantage of having good looks.

 

By this point, I figure that L and I are at an impasse, Light thought evenly while sipping his tea. L couldn’t outright kill him without gathering more evidence, and Light couldn’t do much without drawing even more suspicion. But Light knew that L would strike shortly; and when he did, Light would be ready.  

 

\--

 “Tsuki Yagami,” Watari read out, “According to lease documents, he has lived in that apartment for the past two years. There’s no proof of him living anywhere before that, but it’s very likely he was a minor and lived with his parents. Unfortunately, although the building has existed for decades, the landlady seems to have misplaced all documentation of previous tenants of that particular room.

 

“Yagami appears to hold no job,” L continued boredly, for him “ many eyewitness reports confirm that someone matching his description attends To-oh University, and although there’s no proof he’s registered, the dean himself swears that Yagami is a student- despite not even remembering his name. Thorough investigation of his residence yielded absolutely nothing, not a single blood stain or protein in sight. Our feed holds evidence that he eats normal human food, has a sleep rhythm similar to most other college students, and leaves the house during the day time.”

 

“So there’s no proof he’s Kira, then,” Aizawa said dejectedly.

 

L pulled his dessert spoon out of his mouth. “On the contrary, he’s practically giving himself away.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Well...if he had just been a little more careful with the government paperwork, I’d be inclined to agree with you. Most likely he just didn’t want any sort of paper trail, but it actually works to his disadvantage. How can a Japanese citizen be completely unknown to the government? No, it’s clear that at the very least, Yagami has a fifteen percent chance of being a vampire.

 

“Following that logic...he has a lot of the same behavior patterns as Kira.  Part of the reason he’s been so hard to catch is because he blends in so well with human society. We know he’s powerful enough that I wouldn’t put it past him to be able to eat human food and go out during the day time. We also know he never brings his victims home with him, which is pretty abnormal for a vampire. Most leeches like to save a portion for later so they don’t have to go out and hunt all the time, but his apartment and refrigerator are both _spotless_ . _And_ ,” he held up a small, clear evidence bag into the air, “We found several long blonde hairs on his couch. It’s almost certain that he and the Fake Kira have already made contact. So if Yagami _is_ a vampire, there’s a ninety nine percent chance that he is Kira.”

 

“Um, L, that’s-”

 

“I’ve furthermore had him tailed today, and he’s behaved in a completely human manner. This only adds to my evidence.”

 

“So any lack of evidence is actually….more evidence against him?”

 

“That’s right,” said L, popping a jellybean into his mouth. Aizawa and Moji looked at each other.

 

\---

One Night Previous

\---

 

Hypnotizing Takashi Matsuda had been laughably simple.

 

Task force investigators were supposed to train themselves to resist this sort of thing, to the point where if a vampire wanted to extent his influence, he would have to practically shove himself into the investigator’s face. But with Matsuda, Light could do it from several yards away with only a minute of held eye contact.

 

They couldn’t verbally communicate, of course. All the investigators were currently under surveillance to prevent this exact scenario. Light smirked to himself. Perhaps it would work against other vampires, but it certainly wouldn’t work on _him_.

 

What Light _could_ do was warp Matsuda’s memories ever so slightly. Not enough to be noticeable to most. One street name becomes another. A description is recorded just a _little_ differently. An earnest witness suddenly seeming, upon reflection, to have been acting suspiciously.

 

Just enough to give the task force a nudge in the right direction.

 

It was finally time, Light decided, to put an end to L once and for all. Playing with him had been fun, but the CSTF was now actively sending swarms of investigators to comb fastidiously through his territory. It made the lower vampires living on the borders incredibly skittish. So many skirmishes were breaking out that the neighborhoods were beginning to resemble the site of a gang war. This chaos, in turn, began to attract the attention of the other Tokyo territories, who considered any weakness an invitation for a hostile land grab.  

 

And what was worse, Light could no longer bring justice down upon deserving criminals.

 

That, more than anything else, was inexcusable.

 

First L. And then, once he was through using Rem, she and Misa were next.

 

-

 Lind L Taylor, long-caught vampire and the CSPF’s best informant, had reported his findings from scouring the Underground for rumors of Kira’s plan. Matsuda was among those who recorded his testament, and the one who read out his findings during the task force evening meeting. While Matsuda was not so incompetent that he ever misreported key facts and details, today he had made four simple mistakes.

 

L didn’t need  to watch the recording to know that. All of Matsuda’s screw ups didn’t make any sense. He had mixed up one address with a street in a completely different ward. A detail on Underground movement sounded suspiciously like a coordinate. A witness had reported seeing something early in the evening, but Matsuda was adamant that she was lying, and had actually witnessed the crime much later at night.

 

It was a laughably obvious message. No- an invitation. It seemed Kira was as eager to finally put an end to this as he was. When L scoured through Matsuda’s surveillance tapes, he caught him staring glassily into the distance while sitting at a cafe during his lunch break. Yagami had, of course, gone through great lengths to hide himself, but the proof was will clear.

 

“We’re going down to the armoury,” L announced to his weary team.

 

“What? Why?” junior investigator Mizumoto asked.

 

“Because we’ve been sent an invitation, so we’re going to go arm ourselves and then I’m going to explain my plan on how to corner and kill Kira.”

 

“Where did you get this ‘invitation’?” Aizawa demanded.

 

L stared at him incredulously. “From Kira, of course.”

 

“So it’s a trap.”

 

“Oh yes.” L smiled around his thumb. “But we’re going to turn it on him.

 

“That’s always the problem with traps.”

 

\--

Dusk

\--

 

From the get go, L was suspicious of the trap. It seemed too obvious.

 

Kira had chosen a wide, dark alley for his final stand- of course, because he loves being dramatic. But such a location made it incredibly easy to plant snipers onto the rooftops. This, for sure, was part of the trap. The surrounding buildings were old enough to have many nooks and crannies vampires could hide in before descending on their prey. He had as many suspicious hiding places rigged as possible, ready to blow at the slightest sign of activity.

 

The other problem was that the front walls of the alleyway slanted toward each other to form a bottleneck. Should Kira and his subjugates get behind the assaulting team as they entered the alleyway, there was no chance of them getting out. But the same thing was true for the vampires as well.

 

Taylor reported that Kira had been visiting the Underground quite frequently to meet with an Ancient named Rem. Ancients were powerful- it would take a whole division of elite investigators and holy men just to kill one of them. But Ancients were also very lazy, most of them purposefully turning humans just to have servants to hunt for them. L highly doubted that even Kira, charmer that he was, would be able to recruit any to help him with this fight. It was more likely he was asking to borrow servants for bullet fodder.  

 

But just in case, L sat in a van a block away while directing orders. He wasn’t a coward. He just didn’t see the point of dying if he didn’t absolutely have to.

 

It was drawing closer and closer to 3 AM, the time Kira had specified. L had set up an entire squadron of Devoted at the mouth of the alleyway. Half the sniper team had their guns already pointed into the alley. The other half was kept out of sight, for now. Investigators had been dispersed at key areas.

 

L had one final trick up his sleeve, but for now it was Kira’s move. All he could do was wait.

 

\--

 It was 2 AM, and Investigator Hanari was growing restless. This night job forced him to sleep through the day, so he wasn’t tired. Rather, he had been patrolling his set perimeter for hours with nothing to do.

 

Occasionally L would direct over the radio, but it was never for him. In truth, he was standing near the corner of the street, so he doubted he would be the first to see any action.

 

Suddenly, there was a little boy wandering down the street, tears running down his sticky cheeks. Hanari dismissed it as an obvious distraction and was about to call it in, when he glanced at the child again and realized it was his own son.

 

“Isao...:” he muttered in disbelief, dropping his weapon. His son had been killed by vampires years ago. But there he stood. A miracle Hanari couldn’t help but pursue.

 

\--

 

L saw Hanari drop his weapon and stumble toward the middle of the road. A distraction, then. “Kido, keep on eye on your partner, but don’t approach. The rest of you, pay it no mind.”

 

There was a murmur of affirmation across the channel, and then silence. Hanari had dropped to his knees in the middle of the road, sobbing loudly and tearing at his own hair.

 

“Detective…” Kido said nervously.

 

“Stay where you are, Kido. If you get any closer, you’ll both be dead.” L warned.

 

“Yeah…” Hanari had begun to claw at his own face, screaming in pain. The other investigators could do nothing but watch, rooted to their post. One of the holy men crossed himself. His image began to flicker on L’s feed.

 

Hanari’s screams only grew louder. A man walking his dog stopped at the road barrier to look.

 

“Is that man alright?” He asked a nearby police officer.

 

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to lea…..” The officer trailed off, attention fully on Hanari. He had stopped screaming.

 

The man with the dog stared along with him, and then slowly turned his head back toward the patrolling officers.

 

L didn’t have time to issue a warning before the man slashed two of the officer’s throats and decapitated the third. Through the mist of blood he could see two glowing red eyes.

 

From there it happened quickly.

 

Vampires swarmed from all sides, some crawling down building. The investigators and holy men kept their formation, but nevertheless they were slowly being picked off.

 

The snipers were focusing their energy toward the ground as well, and as L predicted, there was an attempt by the monsters to dispatch of them. They were promptly blown to bits by the planted spirit bomb.

 

Through the anarchy, L could see the outline of a figure stepping toward the entrance of the alleyway. It was observing the fight, body language indication boredom.

 

From a moment, its red gaze shifted to look directly into one of the cameras. L could see the bright glint of its sharp teeth on the screen as it grinned.

 

L bared his teeth to grin back.

 

“Ishida!” he yelled into his mic at the remaining sniper. “The alleyway!”

 

Ishida, to his credit, locked onto Kira with tremendous speed. Several men on the ground focused their sight on the alley as well.

 

But he couldn’t pull the trigger more than half way before a blonde vampira jumped onto the roof behind him and sunk her fangs into his throat with a screech.

 

The investigators shot into the alley as well, and a monk successfully caught his hook into Kira’s shoulder. He began to drag Kira out of the alleyway and the investigators continued to shoot.

 

Kira had the same features from the time he had spoke to Matsuda, but evidence of his monstrosity was now easy to see; the pale skin, the red, soulless eyes, the claws. The teeth.

 

He had decided to wear, of all things, a suit and tie. L rolled his eyes.

 

Kira thrashed violently and cut the line, but not before half a dozen silver bullets hit home. He ducked and rolled and was still quick enough to get at three of the surrounding men before dragging himself back into the shadows.

 

L actually felt a small sense of relief - in truth, it was only fair that _he_ be able to kill Kira. But why did he want to be in that alley so badly?

 

Ishida threw the vampira off and she hurdled to the ground. He fell to his knees and bled out moments later.

 

The remaining investigators, bitter at not being able to deal Kira’s killing blow, aimed toward their new consolation prize.

 

The vampira -most certainly the Fake Kira- was trying to stand up on broken legs. She was shouting something at the investigators, and with an amused quirk of his mouth L realized that she was saying “ _Leave him alone”_ up until a silver bullet hit her in the gut and she began to scream in agony.

 

There was an answering roar of what sounded like a giant lizard and a flurry of bone-white. The next moment Fake Kira was gone, and any man within a ten-foot radius had been slaughtered.

 

L’s mind reeled in disbelief that he had been wrong. But if that was an Ancient-

 

“Retr-” was all L got to say before the entire ground beneath the street burst open and Ferals, grey and boney with empty eyes, descended upon any and all, indiscriminate.

 

L bounded out of the van and toward the chaos. He needed to get his men out of there. He _needed_ to kill Kira.

 

It was time for “Plan UV.”

 

L fingered the device in his pocket, fighting his way through the thick of the mob. Fighting Ferals was never fun- they couldn’t exactly contribute to witty banter- but because they were so stupid, they were also much easier to kill.

 

But it was enthralling enough that that he didn’t jump away fast enough when Kira appeared to his side and swiped at him, earning himself a nasty set of scratches. L parried with his silver knife and hit Kira across the bridge of his nose.

 

If this monster wanted L to _personally_ stake his heart, then L was happy to oblige.

 

In those moments, the chaos around them was forgotten. L had the advantage of years of martial arts training, but Kira, even in his weakened state, was still faster and stronger than him.

 

But the vampire was only leaving non-fatal wounds, and with a bitter taste in his mouth L realized that Kira treating him like a cat treats its prey. Even if they were intellectual rivals, Kira clearly didn’t see him as a physical threat.

 

L retaliated by throwing a vial of holy water onto his chest. Kira hissed and L used that moment to essentially tackle him, the two descending into a schoolyard brawl.

 

The end result had L catching Kira in a chokehold with one arm and pointing the stake at the leech’s temple with the other. Kira, to his credit, had one iron-cold hand around L’s wrist to stop the stake’s movement, and the other reached back to sink his claws deeply into L’s abdomen.

 

“I supposed I should be making some quip about your ego being the death of you,” said L dryly, “But it’s such a painfully obvious fact. I think I’d rather just kill you.”

 

“Well, you better make it fast,” Kira replied with a smirk, tilting his head to the side. L followed his gaze to see a growing white spec, and with a feeling of dread he realized that the Ancient was coming back. He needed to put an end to this before it descended.

 

Alright, so we both die, L thought, loosening his grip around Kira’s neck long enough for him to slip out and rip a gaping hole into L’s stomach.

 

In his last conscious moment L shoved the grenade into Kira’s face and hit the detonator.

 

\---

Dawn

\---

 

The air grew warmer as Light bit into the dying man’s wrist. He let out a low groan of appreciation as the life bled out of the human and into him. His wounds grew less severe. He would need to drain an entire other body to regrow his eyes, but for now he had enough strength to crawl down into the dark of the sewers.

 

He had plenty of time now.

 

And the day was still young.

 

-

L awoke in a hospital bed with Watari’s concerned face gazing down at him.

 

“Glad to see you’re finally awake sir.”

 

“Watari,” L acknowledged, slowly sitting up. “How long was I out?”

 

“About two days, sir. We are now in the second evening.”

 

L felt relief at being alive, but in his drug-blurred mind he could also feel a growing sense of emptiness. With Kira gone, he would pack up and travel the world until he found another extraordinary monster  to exterminate.

 

His gaze moved aimlessly around the room, quickly landing on the throbbing, ugly wound on his left wrist. He didn’t remember getting that. Despite the time to heal and numerous stitches, he could feel it still split open, fresh blood oozing into the many layers of gauze.

 

“Hey, Watari…” L said thoughtfully with cotton tongue.

 

He held up his wrist for inspection.

 

“I’ve been bit.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Light's apartment number is incredibly unlucky. It's the equivalent of an American having 13666.  
> **The character for Light's first name is literally "moon" (Tsuki), hence why it's read by the task force that way.


	2. Hunger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayy what's good. Not much to say this time just hope you enjoy the chapter B^)   
> Shoutout to my beta Nilah

\---

Night 1- 62 hours

\---

 He had been able to find and consume two homeless people in the sewers. He didn’t often target them but- desperate times called for desperate measures. And besides, squatting was still against the law. 

 

Since his home was now compromised, he had no choice but to drag himself to the nearest hotel, praying that what little power he had left would be enough to convince the concierge that everything was normal. He barely made it to the bed before collapsing. 

 

When he woke up, he was ravenous. 

 

He had consumed enough to almost completely heal, but he felt as if he were torn to bits and nearly dead all over again. He felt the same as he had when he was first turned; a body-hollowing painful feeling strong enough to make his knees weak. 

 

Strange. 

 

Lucky for him, this hotel was in a suspicious enough area that it probably catered to escorts. While he would reap much more satisfaction from a thief or a murderer, prostitution was a crime nonetheless. If he allowed himself to let such a thing go, people might think it was allowable. 

 

Just as suspected, it didn’t take him long to find a room with a meal. All he had to do was follow the scent of musk and fear. When he entered the room the whore was wary, but her relief over his soothing words was enough to let him lay her down onto the bed, and put his mouth on her neck, and bite clean through her throat. She lay helplessly dying under him, only giving out quiet, full-bodied shudders as he began to feed.

 

Light barely had time to register the warmth of the blood washing over his tongue before deep, rolling nausea forced him to spit it back out. His mouth tasted of ash. He rolled onto the floor and retched for several moments, his stomach contracting violently, nearly gasping through his body’s sudden, violent rejection. 

 

He shakily wiped away her remaining blood of his chin, not caring if it got onto his sleeve. What the hell was  _ that _ ? Had she taken some new sort of drug that was toxic to him? Light  _ surely  _ must have fed on addicts before, but the most he had ever felt was a faintly dizzying high. 

 

What was worse, his hunger was even more painful than before. His insides were beginning to feel as if there were being pricked with needles.

 

It must be because I’m still healing from my injuries, he thought, weakly pulling himself up. I just need some...less contaminated blood. 

 

It couldn’t be helped. He would  _ never  _ target an innocent but- wasn’t it better than dying? If he wasn’t around to stop criminals at all, then surely more people would suffer in the long run. He didn’t have time to hunt down an embezzling family man across the city, not in in his current state. 

 

He stumbled out into the hall, nearly losing his balance as he leaned heavily against the wall. He stared hard at the door across from him. He could hear movement in that room, a man and a woman. As he drew closer, he could pick out the high pitched voice of a child. That one, he reasoned, couldn’t possibly be on anything. 

 

The father was the closest. A foreign man in his early thirties, he let out a small exclamation of surprise as Light burst through the door.  Light grabbed onto his head and slammed it into the wall with a resounding  _ THWACK.  _ He stepped over the body to silence the screams of the mother.  _ She  _ was Japanese, Light noted as he overlooked her unconscious form. Perhaps they were travelling to visit her family. 

 

The child was huddling in the darkest corner, whimpering softly. She had pressed herself as deeply into the shadows as possible. As if that would do anything to deter him. But he was thankful that she didn’t scream, and gently stroked her hair as he bit into her soft, weak neck. 

 

This time it was even worse than before. He spit her out immediately and dropped her body in disgust. No. This was unacceptable. 

 

He crawled over to the mother and bit deeply into her wrist. Her blood burned like acid down his throat as he attempted to swallow it despite his body’s rebelling. He rolled onto his back and clawed at his throat, his body convulsing as if he had been poisoned.  _ No.  _ It  _ couldn’t  _ be the blood itself- it was splashed across his face and neck without causing injury. He growled and aimed his fist at her lifeless face, caving in her once beautiful features.

 

He stubbornly persisted onto the father, screaming in both pain and frustration as he fell to the floor in agony once more. He plunged his claws into the body and ripped at it. Darkness creeped into the edges of his vision. The world fell away and his mind fell blank, knowing nothing. Just that he was  _ burning _ and he was  _ starving  _ and it  _ hurts _ ,  _ it hurts, it hurts, it- _

 

“Heya, Light.” 

 

Light’s eyes rolled upwards toward the sudden looming shadow in the doorway. “...Ryuk?” He croaked. 

 

Ryuk laughed. “Boy, you’re in a state. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you lose your composure like this.” His bulbous eyes raked over the scene. “Did you really have to break all the furniture?”

 

“Huh?” Light turned to survey the room, which indeed was full of broken furniture. There was an almost unrecognizable body lying underneath him, its shredded back bearing the remains of a tattoo. The father had been yakuza? That couldn’t be right, he was- and where was-

 

“Where did the other two go?” He asked hollowly.

 

“Eh? The other two?”

 

“There was a family…” Light trembled as he tried and failed to pull himself up. “A mother and daughter…”

 

“Oh! That must have been down the hall.”

 

Light’s eyes widened. “Down the….”

 

He stared down at himself for the first time.He was completely drenched in blood, could feel it sticking to his skin and in his hair. His hands began to tremble and he curled them into fists.

 

“Did I kill the whole-”

 

“The whole floor! Yup!”

 

His head buzzed with static. As his awareness returned , the burning, sick hunger roared back to life inside him. He doubled over. 

 

“Ryuk,” he whispered, staring up imploringly at his sire’s impassively grinning face. “What’s  _ wrong  _ with me?”

 

Ryuk’s grin widened into something dangerously malevolent. 

 

\---

Day 2- 49 hours

\---

“You have a lot of nerve showing your face here, Light Yagami.” 

 

Light merely grunted from his position on the floor.

 

“I’m serious.” Rem loomed menacingly over him. “You put Misa in great danger in order to force my hand. I should destroy you right now.”

 

Please do, thought Light. 

 

Light had been insistent on washing the blood off of his body and out of his hair and changing his clothes- he wasn’t an  _ animal _ \- before Ryuk flew him to the Underground. It was humiliating to have to be carried by anyone, but he didn’t trust himself to be able to travel the distance alone. 

 

Once they were in Ryuk’s lair, the Ancient busied himself in trying to find his well-worn deck of cards. Light collapsed into a rickety wooden chair. His sire’s living conditions were, as always, disgusting. Nothing but predator bones and inexplicably, sand. It wasn’t that much different than the rest of the Underground, but at least some of the other Ancients had the good taste to add some gold and jewels to their aesthetic. 

 

Light sighed and rubbed his eyes with the bottoms of his palms. “So what’s going on, Ryuk?”

 

“You fucked up.” Said Ryuk distractedly, poking his oversized head into a cabinet.

 

Light looked up sharply. “What?” 

 

“Oh, yeah. Big time. I don’t think even  _ you  _ can scheme your way out of this one- where  _ are  _ those cards?” 

 

Ryuk often said stupid things. But a sudden tightness in Light’s chest told him that Ryuk was telling the truth.

 

“But- why? What’s wrong with me?” 

 

Ryuk threw his claws up in the air- clearly, the cards had been stolen- and turned back to face his most interesting and most foolish of offspring. He sighed dramatically and placed his fist on his cheek. 

 

“Light, remember when I first created you? What I said?”

 

“You...mostly just laughed and talked about something stupid, I think.”

 

“That’s all you remember?!”

 

“Of course I didn’t remember anything, I was too busy experiencing the agony of being born.” Light snapped. “ I just assumed that’s what happened because that’s how all our conversations go.”

 

Ryuk shook his head. “Jeez, Light, why you gotta be so  _ mean _ ? Anyway, I specifically told you to kill your prey. That, in fact, under  _ no  _ circumstances should you  _ leave your prey alive. _ ”

 

Light gave him an icy look and clenched his teeth to keep from shouting. “Why can’t I ever leave my prey alive?”

 

“‘Cause they’ll own your ass  _ Hyuk hyuk _ . Forever.” Ryuk’s eyes glowed in his amusement, and his fangs seemed to sharpen as he smiled. 

 

“If a vampire leaves a human alive after drinking from it, and fails to kill that human within three days, then that human will be the only source you can ever drink from. If you try to feed on anyone else, your body will reject it and you’ll eventually starve.”

 

“Wha-Ryuk- _ why didn’t you tell me that sooner? _ ” Light didn’t care if he was shouting anymore. He was experiencing something akin to human hyperventilation. He began to let out a high-pitched keening sound and fisted his hands into his hair.

 

“I  _ did _ tell you,” said Ryuk with a great deal of patience in his voice, “I just said I told you when you were turning, remember? And stop whining like that, it’s really beneath you.” 

 

Light stopped and sprung to his feet. “Surely there must be something...there must be  _ something  _ I can do! Anything!” He grasped at Ryuk’s shirt. “ _ Tell me _ .” 

 

Ryuk brushed his hands aside. “I told you what I know. When did you last drink from a human without gagging?”

 

“In the sewers...there were a couple of homeless men, but it’s impossible that they can be alive-wait.” His eyes widened. “Is it possible that this bond is still in effect if you  _ temporarily  _ kill a human, but he comes back to life?”

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

 

“Back in the sewers, I killed those two men by biting into their throats- there’s no way they’re still alive. But  _ before  _ that, I drank from a dying investigator’s  _ wrist _ . I’m certain I felt his heart stop, but it’s possible he was found short after and resuscitated.”

 

Light began to pace. “That explains why I was able to still feed  _ right  _ after- when the investigator was still ‘dead,’ but  _ couldn’t  _ feed by the time I made it to the hotel. But why would the task force put so much energy and money into saving one guy? Death is an accepted part of their job, and the benefit wouldn’t outweigh the cost, unless…” He stopped short. “Unless….” 

 

Oh, no. That couldn’t be it. Light could feel manic laughter bubbling up inside of his chest. What were the odds? And Light  _ had _ killed him, for sure, he himself had killed him, so it couldn’t. It couldn’t be. It must be some politician’s son who decided to join the CSTF for the good press, or-

 

“Ya’know, now that you mention it, that guy you were feeding in the alley on  _ did _ look kinda familiar,” said Ryuk, scratching at his temple. “What was his name? The alphabet man.” 

 

Light rounded on him. “You were  _ there _ ?” He hissed. “You decided to come anyway, and all you did was  _ watch _ ? No- I should expect that from you. But to just sit there while I sell myself into  _ slavery _ -” He bared his fangs and growled, body stiffening. He would kill him. He would kill Ryuk, he would kill everyone, and then he would kill  _ himself _ -

 

Ryuk held his hands up and put on a serious face. “Whoa, Light, calm down! That was last night, right? You still have two nights until it’s permanent! Why not try hunt him down, eh?”

 

All the fight drained out of Light at once, leaving nothing behind but his hollowing hunger. He sighed and turned to lean his forehead on the cool stone wall, shoulders slumped. “There’s no way I can find him in such a short amount of time,” he said tiredly. “Even if I did know his location, I’m too weak to take on his security. And I have no way of gaining energy anymore.”

 

He resolved to lie on the stoney part of Ryuk’s floor for the rest of the day, and he had, up until Rem had confronted him. 

 

Her eyes raked over him disdainfully. “Pathetic. Not even willing to defend yourself. Maybe you really do want to die.”

 

“Aw, give the kid a break,” Ryuk piped up. “He’s already dying. He even asked me to kill him myself.”

 

“So why didn’t you?”

 

Ryuk leered at her. “And miss all the fun?”

 

\---

Night 2- 30 hours

\---

“So, you’re saying that because it won’t heal, that means the vampire is still alive.”

 

“That’s correct,” Said Father Grigory. “Had it died, the wound would have closed up normally.”

 

“Hm….” Said L, letting his wrist hang at an awkward angle to fully inspect it. “That’s a real shame.”

 

“Detective...I know your strong stance on the issue, but please try to reconsider. Forming a successful bond is incredibly rare, but the Church has made great progress when it does happen. Miss Takada has helped to completely eradicate several epidemics.” 

 

A slim, composed vampira standing near Father Grigory lowered her head in deference. Had it not been for her deathly pale skin and crimson eyes, she might have been mistaken for a lawyer.

 

“I understand,” L replied. “And maybe I’d be more agreeable if it were someone else. But the saliva test results came back from our labs, and there’s no way I can allow a bond with  _ this  _ vampire.” He waved the paper with his good hand for emphasis.

 

“I don’t particularly care about how much good he might do. I’d prefer if he just starved.” 

 

Miss Takada’s shoulders stiffened. Starvation, L knew, was the worst possible death a vampire could experience. He could understand her offense. But to be fair, he  _ had  _ attempted to kill Kira in a more humane manner already. 

 

The priest cleared his throat. “Perhaps if you just gave it a try, I think-”

 

“I’ve made my decision.”Said L. “But once this wound closes up, I’ll be sure to try and get bitten by some other vampire without dying.” He leaned back into his pillow and closed his eyes.

 

“There are things I would like you to know, regardless.” Father Grigory persisted. “In case you change your mind.”

 

L remained silent, willing the man to go away.

 

“First off, a bound vampire is obligated to follow any  _ negative  _ commands. You can bargain with your blood for anything else, but he is free to disregard it.”

 

“So if I tell him  _ not  _ to do something, he automatically can’t do it?”

 

“That is correct. A popular first command is ‘don’t kill me,’ I believe.”

 

“...What if it’s a double negative?”

 

L heard the priest pause. “Pardon?”

 

L exhaled loudly through his nose. He hated to repeat himself. “If I tell him he can’t  _ not  _ do something, will that work?”

 

“I...don’t believe anyone’s tried it that way.”

 

“It would be more interesting if it did work,” L mused, peeking out through a half-mast eyelid. “Then I could control his every move. Mmm….in fact, that wouldn’t be too bad at all. As a hypothetical, of course” 

 

Miss Takada’s disdain for him was growing by the minute. L could feel it all the way from the bed. Father Grigory looked annoyed as well. L wondered if that might be a side effect from the bond. 

 

The priest cleared his throat. “Another important aspect of a bond is the  _ summoning _ . He can be at your side in moments, as long as you call for him.”

 

Now  _ that  _ was interesting. L imagined summoning Kira on the spot, ending him while he was too weak to fight back or slip away. The chances of Kira surviving at this point were slim, but L wouldn’t put it past him to try and stir up trouble regardless. 

 

L sat up as much as he dared. “Can I summon him right now?”

 

“In theory, you can. However, since the bond is incredibly fragile at this point, there’s a high possibility of him choosing not to appear.”

 

“Let’s try it.” He picked up his phone. 

 

\---

Day 3- 13 Hours

\---

“The canary is back,” Mikami commented. 

 

He was leaning against the wall by Light’s side. Mikami had always been the most devoted of Light’s followers, and one of Light’s favorites for this very reason. Even if he could sometimes be...a little overbearing, nevertheless Light appreciated Mikami keeping him company and guarding him against Misa or anyone else wanting to bother him. 

 

“Lind?” Light asked faintly. He was now so weak that he could barely speak.

 

“I should kill him,” Mikami said with his usual conviction. “To think, that police rat daring to sniff around at such a tragic time-!”

 

Light shut his eyes. So tired. He just wanted to sleep now- he wished he really could, but the gnawing inside of him made it impossible. “What’s he even doing here?” As far as Light knew, there was no major activity following his showdown with L. 

 

“Asking about you, naturally,” Mikami scoffed. “The task force scum have no shame to the very end.” 

 

Light cracked open his eyes. The task force was interested in him, even now? It must be L. He scrunched his eyebrows. Did he also know about the bond? Come to think of it, he had heard of vampires working under holy men before- he assumed it was to cut a deal, but it may be that they were bonded as well. And if that were the case, L probably knew more about it than he did. 

 

If L knew about the bond, then there was no real point in looking for him. He had assumed that L would just leave him to die of starvation if he knew the situation. Maybe he was just wanted confirmation that Light was dead, once it happened.

 

The thought of it irked Light. Couldn’t that belligerent, intolerable frog-man leave him alone during his last, tormented moments? The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He could feel himself growing lukewarm with anger. Was this L’s way of  _ gloating _ ? Well, he’d just see about that. If L wanted to heap more misery onto Light’s dying night, then so be it. Light would do the exact same. Let L have one final reminder of why it is unwise to cross the Empyral Kiira.

 

He reached up to tug weakly at Mikami’s sleeve.“Mikami.”

 

Mikami leaned over him worriedly. “What is it, Kira- _ sama _ ?”

 

“I have a final message I’d like to give to all my followers and tenants.” Light paused. “Make sure Taylor hears about it, too.”

 

\---

Night 3-  4 hours

\---

Kira’s death had been going so well, so of course he had to ruin it.

 

The sun had barely disappeared beyond the surface before his territory had completely descended into chaos. All L’s precautions to prevent such a thing in the event of a power vacuum were to no avail.

 

First came the tenants living all around the border of the territory. Usually, they all followed the rules of their master and only hunted criminals- L had seen a vampire break that rule  _ once, _ and his body had been so brutalized that several task force members had thrown up on the spot. But they clearly never subscribed to Kira’s philosophy, and with their enforcer gone, the swarm was intent in making up for lost time. 

 

L had a team on standby for this very scenario- it had an 80% chance of happening- but the holy men had barely begun cutting down the number of monsters before a third group swooped in: Kira’s followers. 

 

Evidently, they were furious at the tenants for straying off of Kira’s path so easily. L was sure it was a coincidence that all of Kira’s chosen elite were also a lot stronger than the tenants-  _ surely  _ the  _ great  _ Kira would choose based on amount of devotion and nothing further- but in any case it was making his team’s job a lot simpler. 

 

But L had miscalculated. He had assumed Kira’s followers would leave his team alone. They had always done in the past, for the most part. But evidently there had been a rule change, and the holy men found themselves being attacked on two fronts. They stood no chance. 

 

With the absence of an authoritative human buffer, the chaos only became more frenzied. L had no troops to spare after the event from three nights ago. For a moment, all he could do was watch it unfold before him. 

 

Families screaming in the streets as they were picked off. Vampires bathed in blood as they moved from one house to the next. The streets running black in the lamplight. These humans could not protect themselves at all; they had become accustomed and comfortable with the protection Kira provided them. In the end, all that security had done was gradually fatten them up for the slaughter. 

 

L turned away from the screen in disgust. Was Kira really so weak that he couldn’t even establish a successor? Surely, there must be some sort of hierarchy among his followers. L glanced at his ever-throbbing wrist. He hadn’t died yet. And yet his territory had descended so quickly- usually it took a couple of nights minimum, once a leader was dead, out of respect. And no one wanted a territory to be destroyed  _ too  _ badly, unless they were a power-hungry idiot like Rod Ross. L supposed this would be especially true for Kira, who valued law and order above all else. Why would Kira’s followers start to destroy Kira’s vision so easily?

 

Unless.

 

Unless this  _ was  _ what Kira wanted. 

 

L scanned the satellite images once more. He couldn’t pick out the faces of any one of Kira’s core circle of devotees, come to think of it. If Kira ordered them to not interfere- if they were out of the equation- then there would be no one to force order. The ward would be a war zone until a surrounding territory absorbed it, and in the meantime the clashes between Lords would bring even further slaughter. 

 

He couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed in Kira. If nothing else, Kira was a man who stubbornly stuck to his ideals. But in the bitter end, he would prefer to watch the city burn and play the fiddle rather than establish any support for his vision. It was very unlike him. But then, L thought with a rueful smile, it could also be that Kira was merely trying to bait him, just for old time’s sake. 

 

“Alright,” L sighed. Kira had his full attention. Perhaps L could order Kira to re-establish vampiric authority. There was a chance that Kira planned on doing so anyway, and that this was a ruse to find where L was hiding. But there was an equal chance that Kira was being dead serious, choosing to burn out in one final, gigantic hissy fit. 

 

L hobbled over to the intercom. “Father Grigory, I know I told you to make up an entrapment circle, just in case. Is it ready?” 

 

“Yes, it is,” the com crackled.

 

“Excellent. I’ll be there shortly.”

 

\--

Because the pentagram was complete, L’s main concern was on how to look intimidating in spite of his still-tender wound. Because of its placement, he couldn’t sit in his usual manner. Nor could he stand without the aid of a crutch. He supposed he could just play it off as if he didn’t care whether Kira saw him in a weakened state, but that wouldn’t end well. Kira, who would be incredibly weakened as well, would latch on to L’s vulnerability to protect the dregs of his own pride. The conversation would go nowhere after that.

 

In the end, he compromised by having Watari bring in a tasteful high-backed chair- big enough for him to hide his crutch behind- that he would have to sit in normally. Not ideal, but the best alternative. 

 

L settled in with Watari and the task force standing behind him. “Is there anything else I have to do?” He called to Father Grigory, who was standing on the other side of the circle with his vampira.

 

“No,” the priest called back. “Just call his name.”

 

L let out a breath. Alright. “Tsuki Yagami!” he called.

 

Silence. L tilted his head.

 

“It may take a couple of times, since your bond is still weak,” called out the priest. “Try it again.”

 

“ _ Tsuki Yagami,”  _ L called again, changing the inflection of his voice to sound more authoritative. Nothing came from it. He tried again several more times to no avail.

 

L heard impatient rustling behind him. “Could it be that the name on his lease was fake?”Asked Aizawa.

 

“Possibly,” L grumbled. In truth, he had wanted that to be Kira’s real name, since it suited him so well.

 

He caught Takada bringing her hand to cover her mouth in order to hide a smirk. His eyes narrowed. 

 

“Miss Takada,” he called. “Do you happen to know anything about this?”

 

Takada’s eyes widened in innocence. “Me? I know nothing of the mechanics of summoning, besides the fact that I’ve experience it. Sorry I cannot be of more help.” She bowed in apology. 

 

So she was choosing the difficult route. “I actually meant whether you knew Kira’s real name.”

 

Takada raised her eyes up to meet his. “His real name?”

 

“Yes. Not only are you obviously from Tokyo, but your accent is the same as his, indicating a similar social background growing up.”

 

“That may be so, but it doesn’t mean-”

 

“Furthermore,” L interrupted. “You two share the same sire, don’t you?” 

 

Takada jolted as if receiving an electrical shock. She shared at L in horror. “H-how did…”

 

“How did I know? It’s very simple. I have long know the entire of history of Kira’s hunting patterns and have recently compared his to yours. Not only have your targets always been similar- indicating that at the very least, you were his follower- but you both started at the same spot. I suppose that must be where your sire’s lair is.”

 

Father Grigory gripped Miss Takada’s shoulder tightly. “Is this true, Kiyomi?” He asked roughly.

 

Her expression changed from horror to fear and she began to tremble. “I...I’m sorry, Master. It’s all true.”

 

He struck her hard across the face and she stumbled. “You-!”

 

“Now, now, there’s no need for that,” L interrupted. “Just tell us his name and all will be forgiven. Right, Father?”

 

The priest paused, and then quickly nodded with a grunt. 

 

“S-so, you won’t starve me again if I give his name?” Miss Takada asked, composure crumbling. Tears had started to stream down her cheeks.

 

Father Grigory sighed. “I suppose not. I don’t think this is bad enough to warrant  _ that,  _ but there will be consequences for you keeping silent. Understand?

 

Miss Takada nodded and straightened. L gave her a moment to collect herself but quickly grew impatient. 

 

“The name?” He pressed.

 

“Yes.” Miss Takada wiped away the remainder of her runny mascara. “You were almost right. His name is Light Yagami.” 

 

“Light Yagami…?” L muttered before being able to stop himself.

 

No sooner had he spoken that there was a loud  _ crack  _ and the monster in question appeared inside the circle. 

 

\--

Light looked terrible at the moment, and he knew it. His skin was grey enough that he almost resembled a Feral, and his lack of sleep had caused bags to begin to form under his eyes. 

 

By a woman’s gasp,(a woman, he realized with a jolt, who was Kiyomi),  there must be a very great dimness about him at the moment. What was worse, the most he could do was sit on the floor as casually as possible, as though he simply couldn’t bother to stand before his current audience. But L, he noticed, wasn’t doing much better. That chair didn’t fool him at all.

 

It had all gone according to plan. Light knew that if he caused enough chaos, L would have no choice but to try and contact him. His territory was large enough that there was no way the police could fully handle this- it necessitated some degree of collaboration with the opposite side. He wasn’t expecting to suddenly teleport into a completely new environment, but that was all the better. He still had a couple of hours left. Now all he had to do was lure L close enough that he could kill him. After that, he should have enough strength to finish off everyone else in the room. 

 

“Kira,” L spoke, dragging Light out of his thoughts. “Or, Light Yagami, was it?”

 

Light sighed ruefully and leaned his head forward until his hair covered his eyes. “You got me. Congratulations on finally figuring out my name.” 

 

“Funny. Tell me, Light, what did you want to discuss? You  _ did  _ do all this to get my attention, didn’t you?” 

 

Light peered up from under his eyelashes. “What can I say?” he said with a shrug. “I guess I just wanted to see how things would play out once I died. So I let everyone go a day early is all.” 

 

L pressed the pad of his thumb to his lip and flashed Light what could pass as a very static, sarcastic grin. “I see. Well, I’ll just get to the point.” 

 

Light narrowed his eyes. What could L possibly do, other than try to cut him some sort of deal to re-establish order? Light planned on making his terms a simple last meal- enough to ease his suffering, but not enough to regain his strength- before allowing himself to be killed. 

 

What L probably wouldn’t count on the six-inch tip of a steel foil blade hidden up his sleeve. Holding Circles protected the caster from all sorts of magic, as well as anything silver; but no one would expect a vampire, let alone one as powerful as Light, to be carrying such a pitiful human weapon. Once L drew close enough, he’s thrust it through his heart. 

 

If not, he also had also attached a hidden tracker to himself. If all else failed, all he had to do was press it to give the signal to his followers. He might be unreachable while trapped in the circle, but at least everyone else around him would meet the same fate. 

 

“...I’d like to finalize the bond with you,” L stated flatly. 

 

Years of practiced composure was the only thing stopping Light’s jaw from dropping. What- what  was he playing at? There’s no way he could be serious; even if having power over Kira might have been tempting to L, he must know that Light would do everything to hinder him at every turn. He had his enemy literally dying at his feet, so what was he playing at?

 

He kept his voice light. “Come on, L. I don’t think I have much time for jokes.” 

 

“Not a joke.” L grunted as he slowly got to his feet. His butler handed him a crutch. “I’ll be honest, Light. While I do like the thought of you dead, the thought of you enslaved is nearly as tempting.”

 

“And yet, you’re discussing it as if this is some sort of agreement.” Light almost-but did not- snapped. “What type of vampire would choose eternal slavery over death?”

 

L stared owlishly at him for a long moment as he balanced on his crutch, thumb against his bottom lip again. Evidently he had a lengthy answer to that question, but didn’t want to say it. 

 

He eventually hobbled over to the edge of the circle. “Well, how about this- I’ll leave it up to you.” He reached out his bare foot and dragged it through the circle line, breaking it. There was a flurry of protest from L’s investigators. Light stared at the break in disbelief.

 

“I have no doubt you still have some way of summoning help.” Damn it. “So you can call them to take you away, if you want. You can even have them try to kill  _ me, _ \- though I’ll tell you, there’s about a seventy-five percent chance that they’ll fail and you’ll just die here on the floor anyway.  _ Or-” _

 

L crossed the line and slowly made his way toward the center of the circle- towards Light. Light widened his eyes marginally, barely believing it. Had blood loss really made L  _ that  _ stupid? He was really coming over to him with little argument?

 

L reached the point where Light lay and slowly knelt down onto his knees with a soft sigh of pain. Light was so dizzy that when he looked up into L’s eyes, he truly thought he was staring into the void itself. 

 

“-you can take your chance with me.” L flashed him a very small, genuine smile.

 

Now that L was so close, Light could smell the blood running through him, could practically bask in its warmth. He could see the pulse beating in L’s neck. His dry mouth started to water. His dormant, empty stomach suddenly came to life, clawing rapidly at Light’s insides. He had never felt this warm since he’d been turned- as if he were on  _ fire _ . 

 

If he did drink from L, right now, he was sure it would be the most delicious poison.

 

But he wouldn’t. He would never sink to such a pathetic level. He would use L’s smugness to his advantage, and kill him once and for all. 

 

Light lowered his eyes. “...alright.”

 

He didn’t realize the room had fallen silent until everyone began clamoring at once. L drew closer and Light drew his his arm back, milliseconds away from striking. As he did so he quickly glanced at L’s face once more, and he shivered, realizing far too late that something was  _ wrong _ . 

 

“Oh, and don’t try and kill me, Light.”

 

Light’s arm froze against his will, as if bound by an invisible chain, and his thoughts didn’t get far beyond ‘What th-’ before L shoved his bleeding wrist into Light’s mouth. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Light : ( comment on what horrible thing should happen to him next


	3. Bond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please enjoy this definetly-not-a-whole-ass-year-late chapter! And as usual, mind the tags!

_Vampires do not dream._

 

_This applies not only in the literal sense- though, the science behind their lack sleep rhythm is quite fascinating- but the figurative as well. Vampires do not have hopes or dreams the way humans do. We all know they can certainly want or lust for things; their hedonistic lifestyle is frightening at the best of time, and downright horrifying at its worst._

 

_But by their own ironic nature, they think not of the future despite their (limited) immortality. Their attention remains in the now. New research suggests that a cascade of excitatory neurotransmitters, triggered from the sire’s venom, floods the lateral and medial-orbital prefrontal cortex of the brain during the neophyte’s initial turning. While that part of the brain- often thought to be where the “moral conscious” resides- is at first overstimulated with activity, that initial burst depletes these same neurotransmitters so that there is nothing left for any further activity. Think of it as opening the floodgates to the point of the reservoir turning bone-dry._

 

_By this point in the transformation, the mRNA within the vampire’s cells is becoming “fixed”- we know that this is why vampires do not age. The consequence of this, as I’m sure you’ve already guessed, is that those same regions in the prefrontal cortex are permanently distorted. It is impossible for them to be activated at a normal level anymore._

 

_This is thought to be why vampires are impulsive, unempathetic, and unable to think about any future consequence of their actions._

 

_If a similar traumatic brain injury were to occur in a human brain, in the same area, we call the resulting effect “pseudo-psychopathy.”_

 -Excerpt from **“The Guide to Vampires and Ghouls”,** Prologue, by Sir Quillish Wammy

_____

 

Light could no longer dream.

 

But sometimes, in a half-conscious state just before waking, his memories could play in a loop, as if on an old-fashioned film reel.

 

The funny thing about old memories, Light has found, is that you never recall what you’d think you might. He could remember the smell of his mom’s famous curry, but not what her face looked like. He could remember that he had once had a younger sibling, and that sibling had once let out a high pitch shriek-the shriek was very important to his subconscious, apparently-but not what his or her voice sounded like normally.

 

He could remember being angry at his father; a bone-aching, resentful kind of anger. But his face was the only one Light could picture clearly, so- he must have loved his father, at least.

 

He remembered having a reading assignment for his English class called _Paradise Lost,_ that day in school. Just before _it_ happened.

 

He didn’t remember much else.

 

He conceded to himself that perhaps, just maybe, even _his_ powerful, magnificent brain could be fickle at times.

 

This iron-clad line of reasoning is what dragged him into consciousness. The light was very bright behind his eyelids- was he outside? In the middle of the day? The idea of it made his stomach drop. But no- something had happened. He had been...starving? He didn’t feel very hungry. And that was because…

 

His eyes snapped open. He registered reinforced iron bars no more than a couple of meters from his face.

 

Light squeezed his eyes shut. He opened them again. The same bars. The light was coming from an annoyingly humming fluorescent bulb.

 

He couldn’t stop himself from screaming, but he had enough sense to clamp his mouth shut while doing so. The result was that the wail was muffled. That was...a little better.

 

As his senses returned, he realized that his was wearing a rather heavy straitjacket.

 

Ok, Light, he chided himself as hysterical laughter began to bubble inside his chest. Don’t you _dare_ lose it right now.

 

The laughter would not go away, and he shuddered with it for a few agonizing moments. He bit the inside of his cheek to compensate. The tang of his own blood soothed him a little. But only a little.

 

No doubt he was being listened to. His gaze dragged around his (insultingly small) cell, finally settling on a security camera in the corner.

 

He hoisted himself up into sitting position and glared up at it.

 

“Speak, you coward,” he told the lens.

 

There was no pause before the speaker crackled to life. “No need for name calling.” It said in that familiar bored, _infuriating_ voice.

 

Light shook the hair off of his face. “I’m not name calling.”

 

“Oh no?”

 

“I’m stating th-”

 

“Stating the facts.” The camera interrupted.”I see. Very clever.”

Light wished that he could melt the camera with a glare alone. Or better yet, that bastard behind it.

 

He let a pause go on longer than necessary. “...Yes.”  Is all he finally said.

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

_____

 

L pressed the palms of his hands up against his eyelids. He was already regretting this. Not a minute into waking up and already his slave was _so_ hostile.

 

He pressed down on the mic button vindictively. “Is there anything you actually _wanted,_ Kira?”

 

Kira’s face remained as calm and smooth as marble, but L caught a spark of outrage in those devil eyes of his.

 

“An explanation would be nice.” he finally replied, voice suddenly tinged with hurt. “What happened to working together?”

 

Oh, lord, he was good. Almost _too_ good for L to want to deal with long-term.

 

“Of course, that agreement still stands. But considering our _history_ ,” he drawled, “I thought some precautions were in order. Think of this as….a vetting process.

 

“A vetting process,” Kira repeated. He was using the exact same tone an angry customer uses upon learning an item was out of stock. Uncanny.

 

Kira then took in a large breath, which was not a good sign.

 

“Is locking me in a cage really the best option for a ‘vetting process?’ Think rationally L, I know that’s what you pride yourself in, how in the world would this satisfy any trust requirement? And I can’t even do anything for you while locked up in here, right? Isn’t that your motivation for doing this in the first place? The _least_ you can let me do is call off my followers, since I _know_ you wouldn’t want any more innocent blood to be spilled,-”

 

L pressed the mute button. “Father Griggory, can you please send Miss Takada down to Mr. Yagami’s cell?”

 

Father Griggory stiffened behind him. “Is that really a good idea?”

 

“Yes,” said L, stuffing an animal cracker into his mouth. “He’s more likely to see reason if a broodmate explains his new living situation to him, I think.”

 

He unmuted the volume to cement his point.

 

“-the law, which I’m sure you’re more than aware, literally putting families into danger as we speak-”

 

“Very well,” the priest said grudgingly.

 

“Light,” L interrupted, and as expected using Kira’s given name stopped his tirade in its tracks. “I appreciate the concern for innocent civilians that you so _clearly_ feel. However, you may recall that last night you already called off your followers after some gentle instruction.” And a gentle cattle prod shock after Kira decided to claw at anyone in swiping range. The scratch marks on L’s neck actually looked pretty cool, but the many more, deeper ones on his arms- less so.

 

Thankfully, that _really_ shut Kira up. L shoved another cracker into his mouth and pressed on the mic key once more.

 

“Never fear, Kira! You shall be briefed shortly.”

 

__

 

_The nature of interpersonal relationships between individual_ homo sanguinis vampiria _has historically been a point of great contention within the supernatural scholar community. Although there used to be great variety of morays depending on the culture the_ vampiria _were raised in, Western imperialism, as well as advancements in communication technology, have led to more seemingly global social standard._

 

_The ‘Western-style’ coven is a rigidly hierarchical one. Rather than following strictly “familial” lines, (that is, ‘sibling’ vampires originating from the same sire ) a dominant vampire will seek to subjugate all other vampires within a certain radius, which would thereby be known as their “territory.” The dominant vampire has a feudal-serf relationship with his dominated fellows._

 

_That is not to say that familial ties are altered completely. ‘Sibling’ vampires have often been documented cooperating, cohabitating, and even hunting for weaker ‘family’ members. Depending on the region of the world, physical contact may be preferred. Esteemed social psychologist Karl Guttenstein once famously claimed that “The emotional connection between broodmates is not only comparable to human familial bonds, but is in fact_ imperative _for a vampire’s emotional and psychological well-being.”_

 

_I suppose, dear reader, that you can decide for yourself whether this is true._

 -Excerpt from **“The Guide to Vampires and Ghouls,”** Chapter 8, by Sir Quillish Wammy

_____ 

Kiyomi stood with her back to the hallway light, bathed in a type of ethereal glow. Like an angel. That was Light’s first thought. The second was that, though she hid it well, she was incredibly tired.

 

He had thought that she was dead, to be perfectly honest. The last he had heard from her was years ago, when she went off to make contact with what looked like a promising satellite group in Russia. Evidently, it had not gone well.

 

They locked eyes. For the first time in many nights, Light felt something akin to relief, or perhaps comfort. Kiyomi was clearly working for the enemy-forced to or otherwise- but seeing her again made him realize how much he had missed his ‘onee-san.’

 

“It’s been a while,” Light finally said, fondness clear in his voice.

 

“Yes. I’m...happy to see you again, but…” her gaze slide meaningfully from Light’s face to the bars of his cell. They were made of reinforced cold iron- which he couldn’t touch, let alone anything (or anyone) behind them. Kiyomi raised her hand up to them anyway, as close as she dared.

 

“Don’t even worry about it right now,” he said dismissively with a laugh. “To be honest, I’m surprised you’re allowed to talk to me at all- not that I’m complaining.” His gaze flickered to the camera.

 

He actually _did_ have a good idea as to why she was down here, but wanted to hear what she had to say. She’d been incredibly loyal when still by his side, but that didn’t necessarily still hold true- especially if she was bonded as well.

 

“Everyone seemed to agree that I was the best person to send,” she replied evenly, “to better explain your new...situation.”

 

That was an awfully diplomatic way of putting it. He wondered if Ryuk had bothered to warn her about this type of “situation,” or if she naively fell for the same trap he did. He strongly suspected it was the latter.

 

He needed to find a way to see whether she would be any help for him.

 

Light sighed and sat down on his cot with as much casualness as he could muster, considering the straitjacket. “Yeah...I kinda figured.”

 

“You’re a servant now, essentially. Bound to your master for the entirety of his lifespan.”

 

Light raised an eyebrow.

 

“I know what you’re thinking,” Kiyomi continued. “But it’s not that easy. Trust me. After a while, as the bond strengthens, you’ll lose the will to want to kill him.”

 

_Bullshit_ , he thought; and either through the bond or pure intuition, he could tell L was thinking the same.

 

“How long of a while?” he asked, keeping his voice light.

 

“Miss Takada.” the camera warned as Kiyomi opened her mouth to reply. It wasn’t L’s voice.

 

She had never been expressive, but Light could still see the tension in her shoulders at the sound of that voice. She turned her head toward the camera, as if entranced,eyes widened, her hand going unconsciously to her neck.

 

Light cleared his throat politely, a little uncomfortable at the display. “ _Okay,_ well, does the same work the opposite way?”

 

Her head snapped back to face him. “Depends on the person,” she replied, face impassive once more. “Humans, as you know, contain the capacity for both cruelty and great kindness towards the ones closest to them.”

 

_But more often, cruelty._ Light allowed his brows to furrow. Logically, if he and L were _bonded_ , their implicit souls connected, it should really work both ways, right? Was L the type of man to endure suffering, just to cause yet more suffering on another?

 

Light knew that he himself was.He gave himself a moment to think.

 

“Kiyomi,” he began, “there was some sort of...force, when L gave me an order.”

 

“Yes- you’ll be compelled to obey if he forbids an action,” she paused, “but he cannot verbally force you to _do_ anything.”

 

I’m sure he’ll get creative,thought Light, suddenly remembering the cattle prod. He suddenly felt very cold, and a little sick.

 

More likely L would just dangle his delicious blood over Light’s head until he was too hungry to resist an order.

 

Maybe Light should just starve, after all. But on that note-

 

“The blood,” Light said suddenly, “I have to drink it from L, directly- don’t I?”

 

___

 

L raised his eyes to Father Griggory, already dreading the answer. The priest looked away and gave a quick nod.

 

_Shit._ Thought L. _Bloody-fucking-hell._ It was unbecoming of him to swear, but at the very least this situation necessitated a mental tirade. As Kiyomi confirmed the same on-screen, L could see that Kira was struggling to conceal a similar reaction. But only for a moment.

 

He probably already figured it out in that instant- though it may be awkward on his end, it was downright _life threatening_ on L’s end with the bond still so weak. L could give Kira a whole list of things not to do to him to ensure his safety, but Kira would still find the one loophole allowing him to go to town on L like an enthusiastic school of piranha.

 

After giving it a good fifteen seconds serious of thought, (during which he managed to devour two entire lollipops) he paged Watari. “Do we still have that extra-strength gag muzzle?”

 

“As a matter of fact, sir…”

 

Griggory’s disgustingly sweaty hand fell on top of L’s own. “I would _strongly_ advise against that.”

 

L stared up at him with rounded eyes. “ _You_?”

 

“The bond is still very weak,” continued the priest as if L hadn’t said anything. “This Kira seems like a very prideful creature...something like that could-”

 

“Oh, Kira can do with a little less pride. He has _much_ to spare, I assure you.” He brought his free thumb up to his bottom lip. “Still, I need Miss Takada to stay at headquarters for now, and I assume that means that you must stay as well.”

 

“I-”

 

“We’ll do it your way if this doesn’t work out. Ah- call your girl back, will you? Those two are right on the verge of cooking up a scheme together.”

 

Aizawa, who had been finishing case notes in the back of the room whilst politely tuning any conversation out, rudely piped up. “L,” he said, his voice holding all the gravitas of a judge handing down the final verdict, “you’re fucking crazy.”

 

L didn’t even dignify that statement by turning around. “Are you so concerned with his mental well-being?” He asked dryly.

 

“I’m _concerned_ that it’s going to make him mad enough to rip the bars off his cage and slaughter the lot of us.”

 

“Ah, well,” said L distractedly, already scanning through the restraint database “I’ll just tell him not to do that, then.”

 

___

 

_Pro-vampire propaganda often tries to depict vampires with cat-like fangs which leave no more than tiny puncture marks on its victim’s neck, and that the process of blood-letting is quite enjoyable, even orgasmic. Humans involved in underground “vamp” culture purposefully try to make themselves enticing for this very reason, going so far as to physically seek out a vampire in order to experience what they assume to be a glamorous, erotic experience._

 

_Unfortunately for them-as any less ignorant person knows- that is hardly the case. A vampire’s teeth resemble that of a shark, a wolf, or even angler fish, depending on its age and origin. Much like a shark, it will bite into its victim with full force, not so much delicately sucking as gluttonously slurping from the resulting fountain of blood. Most neophytes, raised on common vampire pop culture until that point, will still target the victim’s neck. However, a more seasoned vampire is likely to aim for the abdominal aorta with its claws and latch onto the resulting wound if it is serious about eating. Besides for the blood itself, many vampires seem to enjoy eating the so-called sweetbreads, although not unlike humans, their taste preference varies by individual._

 

_If a vampire is not in serious need of sustenance, it may play with its food. “Catch-and release” behavior is common. The vampire may latch onto a lesser artery, such as that in the wrist or upper thigh, in order to prolong the victim’s death._

 

  * Excerpt from **“The Guide to Vampires and Ghouls”** , Chapter 2, by Sir Quillish Wammy



___

 

Light awoke once more, despite having no recollection of falling asleep.He was sitting in a chair this time. No- it would be more accurate to say he was bolted down to the chair. He could feel metal bands around his wrists and forearms and- he was pretty sure everywhere. He could even feel one around his neck. Some sort of thick leathery material was engulfing his claws.

 

Anything besides that he could not tell, since he was blindfolded.

 

Already, he was beyond irritated.

 

“Hello, Kira.” L’s voice came from his left. Had Light been human, he would’ve jumped in his seat.

 

“It’s unfortunate that we had to restrain you like this. Truly, I’m very sorry about the state of this situation.” He sounded the opposite of sorry.

 

“But being that you’re a fully grown adult male, and that you cannot drain all the blood from my body at once,” -we’ll see about that, thought Light- “you’re going to have to be fed daily. Twice a day, even, if we want you to keep up your strength.”

 

He could hear shuffling away now, and his spine prickled with unease. Bolting him down like this was humiliating, if not a little rightfully paranoid. But all that, contrasted with not so much as a muzzle over his mouth- it was disconcerting. Surely L didn’t believe for a moment that Light wouldn’t rip a chunk off whatever part of the body he sensed to be in biting range.

 

He could hear some more shuffling- in multiples. There must be more people in the room. He turned his head toward the new sounds as much as he would, and someone let out a small squeak.

 

“Ah, yes, I should have mentioned.” L sounded like he was in front of him now. He was close enough that Light could smell him, faintly. “Our newest recruit. Officer Matsuda- you remember him, perhaps- has never seen, in his words, ‘A real live vampire really super up close before.’ I’ve brought him along for educational purposes, since I know someone as accommodating as you wouldn’t mind.”

 

Light smiled widely enough to bare all his teeth. “My pleasure,” he rasped.

 

“That’s a good boy.”

 

“...”

 

Light fought against giving L the satisfaction of seeing him bristle. Any calm he was fighting to hold onto was quickly being overtaken by righteous fury. Treating a captive vampire like an animal was standard procedure for the CSTF, if not incredibly ungrateful considering all that Light had done for them. But to be talked _down_ to-! By L-! Light had never-!!

 

How _dare_ he.

 

He could smell L coming closer. Light unlocked his jaw a little. He might not be able to straight out kill him, but moderate mutilation had never been taken off the table. He could look docile, and take the insult, but _then_ -

 

Someone, from seemingly out of nowhere, roughly squeezed at Light’s cheeks until his mouth popped open and shoved a thing inside of it.

 

“Ah, right. Watari’s here too.”

 

“Agh.” He couldn’t close his mouth.

 

“He was wearing a scent neutralizing spray he patented himself. Pretty cool, right?”

 

There was a metal _thing_ keeping _his mouth open._ Drool was already beginning to pool near his lips. He couldn’t even _think_ , let alone pay attention to was going on, up until someone clumsily shoved a finger against his tongue.

 

“Matsuda!!”

 

“Coooool.” said Matsuda, assaulting finger now running over his bottom row of fangs.

 

Light snarled and bit down into the brace as hard as he could, head thrashing. He could could feel it give a little, and Matsuda must have nicked his finger on one of his teeth when getting away because now he tasted something disgusting. Idiot. There were a lot of noises going on but Light was too busy trying to get out of the chair to really pay attention.

 

“-IDIOT-”  “Should really-”  “-suggest it, sir”

 

He was still weakened, he knew, but the thrashing seeming to be working judging by the sudden wave of anxiety coming off his prey. There was the sound of rapid footsteps and the door slamming.

 

“-ight, don’t-”

 

He snarled louder and bit down on the thing in his mouth again. It definitely cracked this time, and he shook his head rapidly in an attempt to dislodge it. His claws flexed and tore into the fabric surrounding it.

 

“-t Yaga-” “st-”

 

If he writhed just _enough-_

 

“LIGHT!”

 

Light froze and, ever so slowly, turned toward the sound of that voice. That _voice._ He let out a deep, guttural growl.

 

The smell of something sweet and tangy suddenly filled the air. Distracting. Light sniffed at it curiously and licked his lips.

 

The smell grew stronger and there were slow, thoughtful steps circling Light’s chair. He twisted in his seat to try and follow them. There was a sigh.

 

“Please be still.”

 

Light raised his lips into a snarl at the return of the voice and commenced his thrashing.

 

“Stop moving.” the voice said in a firmer tone.

 

Light stopped moving.

 

A spindly hand brushed at his forehead and slowly tilted his head back. Light wanted to bite it, but he couldn’t move.

 

“Open your mouth a bit.”

 

Light didn’t move. He sort of wanted to get at whatever that sweet tangy stuff was. It was tantalizingly close and he drooled a little.

 

“Al _right_ , how about this then.” The sweet thing was shoved against his lips. A bleeding limb- a wrist.  “Don’t even _try_ to bite it, but- you can move now. ”

 

Light opened his mouth a little. There was something important here, as if- as if he really shouldn’t drink this. Something bad would happen if he did. He growled softly in warning.

 

The hand smoothed through his hair which, while on principle was irritating, actually felt nice. The wrist on the other hand was pushed a little more. “Come on- give it a little lick.”

 

Light gave it a lick. And then another. It was kind of hard to stop lapping up the blood after that. It was sweet, and warm, and made his head feel fuzzy. He really wished he could anchor it with his fangs, though. Better angle that way.

 

The owner of the voice and the wrist, meanwhile, had been continuing his ministrations with Light’s hair. The next swipe knocked at the thing covering Light’s eyes, the voice cursed, and suddenly Light could see again.

 

Right in front of his face was an arm, swathed in bandages with a white sleeve rolled to the elbow. Light’s gaze traveled past the elbow to the shoulder, and then a rather beaten-up looking neck, and black hair, and-

 

Light blinked.

 

Ah.

 

Right.

 

Light coolly dislodged himself from L’s wrist and spat the blood in his mouth onto the floor.

 

He turned back to face L, who suddenly looked like a raccoon caught in a trashcan.

 

“Er.” Said L, backing away. “Well. That’s actually the widest I’ve ever seen you smile, but I thinnnnkk  I’ll just-” Light didn’t hear the rest of it as L went through the door.

 

Light’s smile dropped and he allowed a moment to focus on his breathing. His throat felt a little raw. All of him did, honestly.

 

There was a clattering sound. Light twisted around to see yet another man with an afro, his mouth hanging open, standing in the corner. He seemed to be struggling for words.

 

They stared at each other.

 

“Wow.” the man said finally. “What a dick.”

 

Light couldn’t disagree with such sentiment.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't fit this into the chapter organically but Wammy has like...waayyyy too many vamp restraint tools that resemble bdsm gear...even L was a little like 'bruh.' when he realized


End file.
